The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-07
THE rI,nsI.ANE MnnM.

y, ". SNOW, ol TIE university ol hhnAS,
] writes a. Science: During the past season
the entire State ~ Kansas has suffered an in
yasion oi catcrpillar- Of u species not prcyi'
Ously known a. exist except upon the
| plains uf Colorado, New Mckee Arizona
| and western Texas. Tie Insect haS occurred
| In such numbers ~ Ia suggest Ia many oi our
| citizens the idea ut spontaneous gcnculiiun,
and the writer has received many Inquiries
indicating alarm lest II should prove Ia he u
new edition of the real army worm, aud be-
come great crop destroyer ia the year lSss.
Such fears, however, are entirely gtOundlcss.
| ! have not been able Ia make the Catcrpllnr~
| eat anything but purslanc, and the insect
| may bc regarded ~ friend nibrr Than
| foe since H. chief mission IN life appears Ia
be- the destruction at one ~ our most
| Troublesome weeds
The eastward progress IT this species re-
minds one IT the similar advance oi the Col
orado potato beetle. My first acquaintance
with II was made in August. iss4, ut Dem
ing, n. NJ, nearly 900 miles from Law
renee, where ! captured some twenty NJ the
moths during my summer collecting cXpcdi-
tion, They We're nttucicd by the lamps nj
| the station hotel II the Atchisop. .EniskalG
Santa pc railroad compnRy. Th's'lsOvoa'ts
Ice a rare spccics IN collections, and were In
great demand among my chronological TOR
| respondents. My next acquaintance with
| this insect was from two specimens NJ the
moth captured ut the electric lights In En-
| puria, kns., by my student friend and assist.
ant, Mr. V. l.. Kellogg. Prof Popcnoc. NJ
| Manhattan, observed the cntcrpllnrs aud
Bird the moth In 1856 Emporia and Man
haitian are each about 10 miles west from
Lawrence, aud the lint observed appearance
| of the species ~ the latter place was IN 1851
| IL remains Ia Ice sccn whether the pufSlanc
destroyer will become acclimatcd In "a
nui~tcr aud colder climate than that NJ Its
original habitat. II IL succeeds In adapting
itself tp H. new environment II may push
on To the Atlantic scaboard aud delight the
farmers aud gardeners of the whole country
by assisting Ia cNtcrminatc the hated
"purlcy.' II not " will disappear from
| view, ~ did certain New Mexico butterfly
(ColiaS Mcxicanal, which appeared suddenly
in Kansas In large numbers IN November,
, 1873, aud las not since been observed IN the
State. having been unable to survive the
lint winter. lnnsmuch ~ this latter immi.
, grant has already survived one Kansas win
ter In safety, u is probable that IL will be-
, come permanent resident
! would offer the following explanation III
the fact that this insect, indigenous ~ the
\ iurwcstcrn plains, should - long have de.
lnycd H. Invasion of Kansas aud IT, possible
, "maph tn the sea" Its native food plani
being q western species Of purlanc (roriu.
r lnCa ctusn EngvlmannL it did not extend
, beyond IT, original habitat until the build
+ ing uf the AtchiSOn, Topeka a Santa fc rail.
- ruId had resulted IN the western extension
4 ~ our common eastern puSlanc tr. olcmcca
. ~. A. soon ~ the eastern purslanc reached
r the home of the iar-wcstcrn spccirt forming
4 u sufficiently continuous connection, the
punlunc caterpillar finding the two plant.
: | equally palaiablc, began It, eastward mnr'h.
! In precisely the same way the Colorado
2 potato beetle having fur It. original fuod
. plant Wild western species of solnnum o.
rr,tmtumL hrun It's Journey Ia the Atlantic
lust ~ soon ~ the cultivated potato (Sola.
mum tuhcrusuml was extended westward to
n meet the Wild solanum, commonly called the
4 | Texas thistle and Santa Fc burr.
y 10 the cutumnlugist u will be interesting
4 a. know that the scientific name IT the purs.
lane moth II Copdryas Gloyci II WAS lie.
sCrihcd by 4, Grutc in 1865 ~ belonging Ia
, tho genus Euscirrhoptcrus, but at later
. date it was placed by him in the new genus
. Cupidryas Mr.. Herman Strcckcr has ~.
icrrcd Il tn the genus Eudryas, but the pc.
culiantics of the caterpillar, hitherto I'm.
y known, confirm the propriciy ~ separating
, | u from that genus II belongs to the family
= | IygunidW and u q near relative III the
Z beautiful wood-nymph' (Endyas grnia)
. aud the "cight-spottcd forester (Alypin
, | octomaculata). A. both the latter species
Z. feed upon the foliage of the grape vine, II
r. would not surprise me to find the purslanc
d worm occasionally making use of the same
/. food plant ! do not however, npprchcnd
any serious danger Of making such dis
y coycry